The objective of this Phase II study is to determine suramin's effect on pain, performance status, PSA, disease response quality of life and survival in patients with hormone-refractory prostate carcinoma and to evaluate the safety of suramin. Suramin is a polysulfonated napthylurea developed in the 1920s as a treatment for trypanosomiasis in Africa, and later found useful in the treatment of onchocerciasis and have received attention more recently as a potential antineoplastic agent because of its ability to bind to a number of peptide growth factors.